rockin' the suburbs

Rather disappointingly, I've woken up every day since Wednesday thinking that it was Friday. It's not so much that I am genuinely confused about which day of the week it is, it's just that my whole body is trying to tell me that there's been some kind of terrible temporal mistake and that the weekend is nearly here. It's a bastard, let me tell you.

Well, after a couple of false starts, it looks like we've finally made it to the real Friday, which means it's time for me to hand the keys over to a very special guest to allow him to download the musical contents of his head for our entertainment.

This week's Guest Editor is the author of the first blog that I ever read. The fact that I'm still reading is a tribute to how good his blog is - even though I know absolutely nothing about American Football and have not heard a single thing that Mike Doughty has done (something I really need to remedy, by the way. Did you mention doing me a CD at some point mate?)

Anyway. Ladies and Gentleworms, it is with tremendous pleasure that I am able to present for your earworming pleasure....

Earworms of the Week - Guest Editor #43 - Charlie from Late Night Radio

It's always a pleasure getting to make an appearance over here - it's sort of akin to a Triple A baseball player being called up for a cup of coffee in the big leagues. I've been reading ST ever since he clicked "next blog" three years or so ago, and he remains one of the only blogs I consistently read whose author I've never met - always a fantastic read. Anyway, onto the tunes - where I'd like to add that, for once, Kelly Clarkson is nowhere to be found. Either's she's slacking or I am.

10. Beck - "E-Pro."

This song makes me feel as though I should be in a 1970's buddy cop movie, wearing aviator shades and kicking ass first and asking questions later. Just one of those riffs.

9. John Mayer - "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)."

Yikes. This one took some guts. I've been making fun of John Mayer for years - he was, for any of you who've spent time at my site, the artist I used as the butt of my jokes before I got bored and switched to Nickelback, who are far worse anyway. His most recent release has caused me to come around a little - this tune sounds like a smooth seventies r&b track, and you can do far worse. Credit to my girlfriend for this one.

8. Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean."

Luckily for the kid in this song, Michael is not his father - saves him all kinds of stress later that wasn't covered in the tune. I don't know where this one came from - probably the blame can be pinned on me using my ipod on shuffle as a car radio.

7. Robert Randolph - "Thrill of It."

This is the lead single off of what is supposedly this band's big sell-out, breakthrough record. It's overproduced, has an annoying "hey, let me grab my guitar and get in the car!" vocal intro that seems like about as much of a good idea as Mark Foley getting AIM, but manages to overcome all of this and still be a catchy, pretty rocking song. Maybe it's just the good memories of seeing them live.

6. The Who - "515."

A few weeks ago, I went on a road trip for business that covered over 1,000 miles. I think I listened to this song 700 times during that trip. I need more of this band.

5. Modern Groove Syndicate - "Exes and Ho's."

One, this song makes me smile based solely on seeing the title come up. Two, it has one of the best basslines of any song I can think of, and feels great to blast in the car. Three, it ends on a raucous drum solo that just turns into nothing, which you don't see every day.

4. Tenacious D - "Double Team."

Now you're talking double team - supreme! Jack Black and Kyle Gass can pretty much do no wrong, although by the looks of the trailers and the first single, their movie is going to test this theory pretty strongly.

3. Gran Bel Fisher - "Crash and Burn."

Sometimes, a singer-songwriter takes a bunch of pretty average ingredients and produces something really good that stays stuck in your head for over a month after first listen. That is this song.

2. Led Zeppelin - "Traveling Riverside Blues."

My girlfriend, Cara and I traded mix cds on our first date in New York in August. Hers was excellent, and I've rediscovered this song recently thanks to the ipod on shuffle. It rocks. Her taste in music is pretty clutch - I've had my eyes (ears?) opened to a lot of very good stuff thanks to her.

1. Wilco - "Walken."

Sometimes, you hear a piece of music that makes you really wish you could write something like it. This song, with it's honky-tonk piano, uplifting melody and big, swinging alt-country balls makes me almost overanxious for this band's next record to come out next year. I'd be fine going out to buy it tomorrow.

Thanks for listening, and Swiss, thanks for the slot.

---

Always a pleasure Charlie. Sometimes reading these lists (and for that matter, reading blogs generally) is like taking a peek into a parallel world. Things look vaguely familiar, and I recognise the odd word here and there, but everything else looks strange and unfamiliar.

It's brilliant.

Next week: someone else.

Maybe.

[Previous Guest Editors: Flash, The Urban Fox, Lord Bargain, Retro-Boy, Statue John, Ben, OLS, Ka, Jenni, Aravis, Yoko, Bee, Charlie, Tom, Di, Spin, The Ultimate Olympian, Damo, Mike, RedOne, The NumNum, Leah, Le Moine Perdu, clm, Michael, Hyde, Adem, Alecya, bytheseashore, adamant, Earworms of the Year 2005, Delrico Bandito, Graham, Lithaborn, Phil, Mark II, Stef, Kaptain Kobold, bedshaped, I have ordinary addictions, TheCatGirlSpeaks, Lord B rides again, Tina]